Why this is important:
Penrith and the Eden Valley is special. We know that. It’s a great place to live.
Eden District has the lowest population density of any district in England. Let’s keep it that way.
Doubling the population of Penrith will change it for ever.
We don’t want to double the population resulting in:
More congestion (particularly in the north down to Fairhill and east into Kemplay)
More great pressure on your local NHS.
More pressure on the best schools.
Major roads on every side of Penrith
The Beacon scarred with major roads and development.
The Beacon is special it shouldn’t be built on.
We need more affordable housing for locals but we don’t need 5,560 houses to do that.
Your own local developments elsewhere in Eden will be rejected as the Council will say this ‘meets the need’.
The plan never explains where any new jobs will come from.
It’s a daft place to build a huge new settlement. It’s on really high ground. The signs on roads leading there already say ‘Winter conditions can be hazardous’. There are far better sites in the area for smaller developments in the many local communities.
All the roads down from the Beacon into Penrith will be far steeper than is ever recommended for roads leading to such a development. The access be dangerous and add to congestion to Kemplay roundabout, FairHill, Kemplay and the whole northern part of Penrith.
The Masterplan makes clear that the idea of a Northern Relief Road isn’t dead. This would scar the Eden Valley for ever. It would also put a 6 lane road within 1/3 mile of these new houses.
As most traffic will have to exit from this development at J41 of the M6 we doubt much trade will actually come to Penrith’s shops, people will go to Carlisle instead.